Michigan State Basketball: Game preview, prediction vs. St. John’s

Here’s everything you need to know for Wednesday’s Michigan State basketball game against St. John’s.

Tom Izzo couldn’t have been very happy with Michigan State basketball’s performance against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday evening. The Spartans nearly came away with a loss at home against a 1-2 mid-major squad, but they held on, controversially.

Michigan State needs to improve its perimeter defense and rebounding moving forward or it’s going to be a long season. Currently 2-2 with plenty of time to turn things around, the Spartans came in at No. 24 in the latest AP Poll.

Heading to the Bahamas this week, Michigan State has a chance to win the Battle 4 Atlantis and take down teams like St. John’s, Baylor or VCU and maybe even Louisville.

Here’s how you can watch Wednesday’s Michigan State vs St John’s game:

Keys to Victory

Miles Bridges needs to be more consistent on both sides of the ball. Too often already, he has been up and down, but the consistency is key. The same goes for Eron Harris. Also, the Spartans need to win the rebounding battle and make some dang free throws.

Defensively, guarding the perimeter has to be No. 1 priority. Teams can pull off upsets with three-point shooting and freshman sensation Marcus LoVett could just make that happen if the Spartans aren’t too careful.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Michigan State -8Over/Under: 150

Prediction

LoVett is going to give the Spartans some major problems on Wednesday as the first-year star has been showing off all year. He’s going to finish with 21 points and his three-point prowess will make this game uncomfortable for the Spartans yet again. Rebounding will get back on track as Kenny Goins plays more minutes and Nick Ward will have a big game in the post.